Horizons Lummineux
by phoenix0899
Summary: (Not in any chronological order with the canon) Marinette has tried her hardest to get Adrien's attention but every attempt she has made before has backfired or been sent completely off course. So why keep trying? Adrien's hopelessly in love with a ever-enigmatic supergirl but it hurts that she doesn't think of him the same way. So why keep flirting? Unrequited love is tragic, no?
1. Prologue

Marinette was having the time of her life. She was sitting at a deli, having breakfast with the boy of her dreams. And the heavenly cup of café crème set in front of her completed the moment.

A light drizzle was just setting in, the raindrops dotting the cobbled streets of Paris and sending a light breeze through the city. It was rare to have such weather. It rained but the sun still shone through the grey clouds; the atmosphere of the city kept bright but given a tint of dreaminess. Weather like this was Marinette's favourite. And coincidentally, Adrien's as well.

Originally, they had both been on their way to the park for their own reasons. Adrien had yet another photoshoot to attend there and Marinette was going there to get inspiration for a nature-themed outfit for one of her aunts. They had bumped into each other on the way and discovered that neither one of them had remembered to have breakfast before leaving their homes.

So it was that Adrien offered to invite her to breakfast at the nearby deli with him. She thought she had seen the lightest hints of red colouring his cheeks but resolved that it was nothing more than her imagination. Adrien, after all, was _Adrien_. Adrien never gets flustered or trips over any of his words. Marinette was the one who did that. She could barely form three-word sentences around him and anything that made it past her vocal chords in that time was usually synonymous with, "You are so nice."

This time was different though. This time she had spoken with all the confidence of her alter-ego, Ladybug. Marinette even managed to crack a joke or two. She had made Adrien _laugh_.

Now, at the top of her world, Marinette smiled dreamily at Adrien and pondered on asking him out for lunch later. He was admiring the city's sights, apparently unperturbed or at least unaware of her gaze. Needless to say, she was very stunned when Adrien suddenly turned to her and said, "Marinette. Stop lying about and wake up!"


	2. Chapter 1

Marinette jolted out of her dream, her eyes flying wide open and her dishevelled hair lashing out like the tentacles of a deranged squid. "Woah! Easy there, girl. It's only me," came a slightly amused-sounding Alya from her side. Marinette turned to find her best friend scowling over her and calmed down.

"A-Alya? You startled me….," she managed in between stifled yawns, "Wh-what time is it?"

"It's 6 o' clock," Alya replied matter-of-factly. She was dressed in a loose-fitting baby blue tee and sweatpants and on her feet were (quite possibly) the fluffiest bunny slippers in all of Paris. "Look it!" Alya proclaimed, brandishing her phone and waving it in front of Marinette.

A moment of silence passed between them and Alya slowed her phone-wagging to a mild jiggle. Marinette blinked, face completely deadpan, and nodded slowly. She slowly took in the situation in all of its entirety.

"So…. let me get this straight," she began, "You came into my home at the crack of dawn, dressed in what I can only guess are your PJs, so that you could pull me out of my sleep, thereby ruining the most fabulous dream I have ever had and probably never will ever have again so that you could show me your phone? Is it a new one?"

Alya raised an eyebrow and turned the phone's screen back to her. "Oh darn. Thumb must've slipped…."

It was then that they could no longer contain their laughter and erupted in a fit of giggles. Before too long, Marinette was clutching her sides and gasping for breath. "Oh-oh gods above Alya…. Gods above…," she managed when she was through.

"Alright… Alright. I-I'll pull up the chat logs I meant to show you," Alya exhaled, sliding her thumb across the screen in a blur. ' _She really spends too much time on that thing,_ ' Marinette thought.

"Here. Got'em."

Marinette gingerly took the phone from her and scanned through the texts on the screen. "Um… Alya? Why are you showing me your goofy way-too-early-morning conversations with Nino...?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at her best friend.

Alya's cheeks coloured immediately and she crossed her arms, struggling to retain her composure. She cleared her throat and made a 'just keep scrolling!' gesture. Marinette sighed and smiled. They really made for quite the cute couple, Nino and her.

Ever since the incident at the zoo, wherein Alya had been locked in one of the animal enclosures with the boy, they had been going off and doing all kinds of things together, things couples would do. But they never did officially declare their relationship. Marinette had a sneaking suspicion that they potentially made up a force of intervention between her and Adrien though.

' _Meddling matchmakers_ ,' she thought vaguely. When her eyes glanced over an 'Adrien' in the chat, all thought of Alya and Nino were swept from her mind. She gave a startled little yelp and rubbed her bleary eyes, thinking they were the culprits behind this.

Alya smiled smugly. The Agreste boy and any mention of him always had this effect on Marinette. All the more reason for Alya to nudge her friend towards him at every opportunity. They would be the cutest couple in Paris. She just knew it. "So…? Go on, read it out loud, girl," she said to Marinette.

She complied, face now set alight. "Hey would it be alright if Adrien tagged along for breakfast at Pierre's later? OH! Bring Marinette along too! He's having a rough week and I think breakfast with his darling would cheer him up." Marinette's eyes were as big as saucers. "Alya- Is this- Did you…?"

Alya swiped the phone back and gave her a conspiratorial grin. "Yes. And I said you would love that and to keep it from Adrien because it's going to be a surprise! So now we have to get you all primped and posed for your little breakfast date with your favorite male model. Also, you're welcome," she said in a flurry and finished with a little bow.

Marinette could only sit on her mattress, utterly dumbfounded. ' _This is a dream… this_ has _to be a dream_.' "Breakfast… with…," she muttered in a daze. She planted her face in her pillow and screamed. Alya shook her head in disbelief. ' _W_ _hat am I going to do with her?'_ she thought, smiling, and reached over to yank her brain-fried friend out of bed. "Okay, okay we will deal with the fallout _after_ we get you dressed and ready for Agreste time. There is no time to waste!"

Marinette's head jolted back up before Alya could forcefully separate her from her oh-so-comfy cocoon. "Speak for yourself, _Mademoiselle Pantoufles de Lapin_ ," she retorted with a pout.

Alya looked to her quizzically, "'Miss Bunny Slippers' what are you- Oh." She looked herself up and down in Marinette's bedroom mirror. "Welp! That's what I have my backup clothes for!" she said cheerily, jabbing her thumb at her bag on the floor.


	3. Chapter 2

Marinette smoothed down her polka-dotted skirt and looked herself up and down in the mirror, turning left and right to check that she looked alright. It wasn't something she was used to after all: wearing a skirt, that is. But Alya wouldn't take no for an answer and after arguing back and forth for fifteen precious minutes, she managed to break even. Black rolled-up pants _and_ the pink skirt with black polka-dots. She had her customary black blazer on and allowed herself a moment muse at her handiwork.

It really was one of her best pieces, lined white with pink polka-dots. The stitching was so fine, the cloth cut so well that if someone saw it in a fashion show they would just assume it was made by a professional. Of course, however, she would never admit that to herself. Humility was one of her core traits, courtesy of Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng's upbringing. Some would argue that she was _too_ humble but that was just how Marinette was.

"Soooo….? Are you still insisting on wearing that _blouse froncée_ or will you finally put on this _chef-d'œuvre de la mode_ that I picked out for you?" she asked, pulling her head out of Marinette's wardrobe. Marinette shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the present. She had a _breakfast date…_ With _Adrien_! Just the thought of it made her giddy. Her dream, the dream her best friend had interrupted, was actually coming true.

She strode over to her bed where Alya had laid out a simple white T-shirt adorned with a pink ladybug silhouette. Marinette shook her head. ' _Leave it to Alya to be that obvious,_ ' she thought to herself. Out loud, she huffed and put her hands on her hips. ' _Frilly beige blouse… Pink ladybug tee_.' "Alright, _Maîtresse de Couture_. Fine. You win. We're going with the ladybug."

Alya did a fist pump and mouthed a _'Yes!'_ , earning an eye-roll from her friend. Marinette smiled and picked up the shirt, stepping behind a partition to swap out her blouse for the T-shirt.

* * *

Adrien sighed and threw himself onto his bed. ' _At home at last. Finally,'_ he thought, sighing in relief. He was still wearing the ridiculous 'Badboy' ensemble from his photoshoot. He had been completely worn through by the fussy photographers. "Go here, Agreste!", "Stop that pouting!", "No! Pout more! Be sulky!" He couldn't ever sit still for two seconds without being barked at with commands like he was a French poodle.

But of course he held his nerve, kept himself smiling and photo-ready. No son of Agreste would be caught dead arguing with the big-shot photographers of the fashion world. The other members of the crew had been nice to him though. They could see how much strain the boy was being put under and over the span of a week, they had gotten over their preconceived opinions of him. Adrien Agreste may have been born into a filthy rich family but he certainly didn't have the brattiness that came with such a privilege.

They eventually came to understand that Gabriel Agreste did not spoil his son. If anything, he was the boy's prison warden. That was why, on the last day of the shoot, they had let him go off in a weary stagger, still dressed as the badboy all the girls of Paris would come to drool over in the weeks that followed. The lighting crew had even yelled down their goodbyes from the catwalks as he made his exit.

Adrien felt something squirming around inside the pocket of his skinny jeans and a muffled little voice drifted out from it. "Are we home yet or what? And where is that mountain of camembert you promised?!" Plagg mewled, still trapped in the warm, cramped space.

Adrien groaned, laughing a little despite himself. "You're impatient as ever. It's tucked in the back of the closet. And don't you dare stick any of the crumbs down my clothes again. They only just came out of the wash."

Plagg erupted from his pocket and zipped over to the closet door, a black streak flying across the room. "No promises! I never keep them anyway!"

The boy model groaned and lifted his face up with what little energy he still had left in him. He would just have to bear with Plagg's stench in his shirts and jackets this week. He let his thoughts drift. Nino had probably filled his inbox up to the brim, as per usual. No Akumas had made an appearance for the last three days so there probably wasn't anything new to see on the Ladyblog. Alya's coverage of the spotted heroine was always impeccable but you could only post so much when there were no Akuma attacks.

Eventually his thoughts about his friends led him to thinking about the fourth member of his entourage: Marinette. Thinking about her always lightened his mood a little. She was more quiet compared to Nino and Alya but that seemed to be just how she was. Timid, bashful. She said little but whenever she did say something, it was always something worthwhile, something thoughtful.

She always seemed like she could barely hold her gaze when he talked to her though. ' _Do I scare her? …Maybe… I had to pick up something from father. Odds are, it was his intimidating stare._ '

He always felt like there would be more to say to Marinette if he could get her alone. She seemed cheery and funny whenever she was with Alya, after all. And now that he thought of it, Marinette had tried to make small talk with him before. Her words had been a little too muddled for him to work out so he had offered a simple smile in return. The look she had given him was as if she'd been struck by lightning.

At that moment, Adrien's phone skittered across the desk. Yet another new message from Nino. Adrien heaved himself up, groaning and moaning as his body protested at the effort. He shook himself out and stretched his arms. Friends. Always yanking you out of bed, even after a gruelling day. He ambled over to the desk and picked up his phone.

He pressed the button on its side and typed in his password: 'Bugaboo'. He thanked the stars that no one knew about that nickname aside from Lady. He blushed, remembering the time he had first called her that. Honestly. What had he been thinking?

He sighed when he looked at the notifications panel. 101 messages from Nino. Adrien grimaced and prayed that his phone wasn't about to crash as he thumbed the icon to open up his inbox. His eyes almost crossed themselves, trying to follow the flurry of texts that filled his phone screen. Everytime he left the country on a photoshoot, he risked freezing it up permanently.

Eventually it reached the end and Adrien's eyes almost bugged out of their sockets. 'YOU'RE GOING TO BREAKFAST WITH US. ME, YOU, ALYA AND MARINETTE! 7.30. DON'T BE LATE OR YOU'LL MISS YOUR DATE! (Hey a rhyme!) WEAR SOMETHING NICE. CASUAL. BUT NICE. SEE YOU AT PIERRE'S.' Hurriedly, Adrien checked the time. 7.10.

He was going to kill Nino. He didn't have any time at all to ready himself for anything like this. A _breakfast date_. A _freaking breakfast date_. With… Marinette. ' _Cat muffins,_ ' he cursed ridiculously in his head. He looked at his clothes. ' _It'll have to do._ '


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for taking Chapter 3 down again but...I read through it and realized that somewhere along the line, I had gotten muddled and the writing was pretty much just glorified dribble. I've spent another 2 hours, re-writing, erasing then re-writing and...I think I'm finally happy with it now. Hope you guys like it better... The first re-writes and the very first release were absolute rubbish, weren't they?**

 **No, no don't sugarcoat it...they were awful at the police part, yes? Anyway...yeah. I really really need to get my stuff proofread next time...but anyway that's enough about me and my writing issues. I don't wanna keep you from the story. Um...enjoy! Or...tell me if you didn't like it in the reviews...um...okay? Please? Thank you!**

* * *

"Remind me again how exactly you got up to my room without either of my parents seeing?" Marinette asked as she and Alya walked briskly down the sidewalk. They had another 4 blocks to walk until they got to Pierre's and it was already 7:15. Getting caught up talking with Marinette's parents had delayed them by 15 unnerving minutes.

They had fussed and fiddled over the girls, making sure they had umbrellas with them, offering them some of the quiches and tarts that had just come out of the oven. And that was _after_ Marinette had told them they were having breakfast at Pierre's. If either of them had breathed a word about Nino or Adrien joining them at the deli, she had no doubt that they would be racing there with armfuls of macaroons or blueberry mini-muffins.

Her mother and father always went the extra mile to be hospitable to Marinette's friends. It was simply how they were. Always welcoming, always humble. Always caring. Unfortunately, this meant that they had to spend 10 minutes waving aside pastries and pleasantries and 5 minutes saying goodbye to Tom and Sabine. And through all this, they were kneading dough and pulling batches upon batches of pastries out of the ovens.

"Oh I scaled the drainpipe and came in through the attic door," Alya panted, pulling her friend out of the way of an oncoming flower cart. Marinette thanked her before she burst out saying, "Wait… You. Did. What?!" Alya laughed and shook her head. "I can't believe you fell for that! Who do you think I am? Ladybug?!"

' _Hah! If only she knew!_ ' she thought to herself. If it wasn't for their lateness, Marinette would have chewed her out for joking like that. But as it was, 7.30 was fast approaching and they still had 2 and a half blocks to cover. As they brought their pace up to a mildly panicked but steady jog, Alya huffed out, "Okay what really happened...is I just…. knocked on the door…. ten or twelve times….and your dad…opened it up and…. I dashed up the steps…. greeted him on the way- Oh my legs are killing me."

Marinette could picture the scene, Alya in her night clothes and bunny slippers, her father, hair a dishevelled mess, staring at her in bloodshot-eyed puzzlement. It was all she could do not to collapse on the pavement, laughing her lungs out, right there and then.

Up ahead, they saw that the crowd was thickening. Housewives were coming out of their homes this early to get the freshest produce, businessmen were out on the street, waiting for their limousines and taxis. The younger Parisians weren't due outdoors for another hour but there were a few early birds out and about, seeking refuge in cafés and delis.

As Marinette and Alya dodged bodies left and right, murmuring rushed apologies to startled ladies and scoffing corporate men, they exchanged reassuring glances. They were going to get there on time. Nothing to it.

"Oh what is this now?!" Alya shouted in disbelief. An immeasurably large throng of people were sealing up the way further up ahead. What could possibly be causing this much of a commotion?!

She and Marinette were drawn to a halt. There was simply no passing unless they started rudely shoving people out of the way. Marinette shrugged at her and went over to a man who was tall enough to peer over the seemingly endless sea of people. She tapped him on the shoulder and said, " _Excusez-moi, Monsieur le Géant_?" The man looked down at her, eyes widening in intrigue. "Oh hello, _mademoiselle_. Tell me, where did you get that extraordinary outfit?"

Marinette was surprised to receive such a wonderful compliment from a complete stranger. "O-oh _merci_ ," she said, giving a little curtsy, "I made it myself. But more to the point, _monsieur_ , could you please tell us what all this commotion is about?"

"Hmm? Oh don't you know? Adrien Agreste, the fashion model is out over there, dressed in his outfit for the unreleased issue of _La Mode_. I must say that it's quite the publicity stunt."

Marinette's eyebrows shot straight up and hurriedly, she thanked the man for his time. She turned to Alya, brows knit together in concern.

"There has to be some mistake right? Adrien wouldn't bail out without telling at least one of us," Alya proffered.

Suddenly, the crowd began erupting in shouts and screams of adoration. They grew louder and louder until it was as if a deafening wave of sound was bearing down on the two of them. Even the tall stranger from before was yelling now, hands cupped over his mouth so that he could be heard over the other voices in the mob.

A hand could be seen, weaving up and down, in and out between the bodies, pushing them aside and a familiar voice was yelling, "Excuse me dude!", "Pardon me, miss!", "One side please! Celebrity coming through!"

Nino's face finally emerged, followed by the rest of him and he seemed to be dragging something. Or some _one_ with him. At the last second, before he could break out of the crowd, his grip faltered and he was shot out like a pinball.

He landed face first at Marinette and Alya's feet. "Urgh. _Fanatiques de mode damnées,_ " he cussed, utterly fed up. He sighed and looked up to see the faces of his friends peering down at him in wonderment, mouths agape.

"Nino?!" Marinette exclaimed, kneeling down to help him up. Nino could only laugh and let himself be helped to his feet. "Sorry but it looks like we might be a little late for breakfast. Help me pull that idiot out of there before people start getting _Agrest_ ive?"

Both Marinette and Alya raised an eyebrow. Puns were the last thing they were expecting from the bespectacled DJ. "Been reading too much Chat Noir fanfiction, have we Nino?" Alya sighed, crossing her arms.

Thankfully, there was no need for them to have to yank their famous friend out of the masses. A small team of police patrol cars drew up at the scene and several officers clambered out. The most senior of them climbed on top of one of the patrol cars and called out to the crowd with a megaphone, telling them to disperse before Riot Control was dispatched.

Reluctantly, the people in the crowd started leaving, intimidated by the threat of a confrontation with Paris' riot police. The crowd thinned out little by little to finally reveal a slightly flustered-looking Adrien signing a magazine for a group of excited teenage girls. He looked around and sighed in relief as he spotted his friends and waved. When his friends spotted him however, they did more than wave. Nino made a rude, suggestive gesture, Alya made a show of impatience and Marinette blushed and looked at the ground, a tiny part of her wishing he would sign something of hers.

Adrien could only get more flustered and sped up his autographing. When he was done, as politely as he could, Adrien shooed the girls away, telling them to hurry or the police may decide to confiscate their autographed issues of _La Mode_.

And with that, Adrien rushed off towards Nino, Alya and Marinette. "Okay, clear off you-," an approaching policeman was saying to them. Adrien cut him off before he could wrongfully drag his friends away. "I-it's okay officer! They're with me."

The policeman looked to Adrien and nodded curtly. "Agreste! I see… So you're the one who caused all this...? Next time, keep your modelling clothes at home please?" Adrien smiled wincingly and said his thanks.

* * *

It took a full hour but eventually people lost all interest and went back to their day. The policemen got back in their patrol cars and drove off, leaving the four of them to get back on their way to Pierre's.

They walked the final block together and even though they were late, none of them really minded. After all, when you have a male model for a friend, this sort of occurrence was to be expected.

Marinette could not stop herself from mulling over the sight of Adrien dressed in his 'badboy' outfit. He was wearing a black hooded jacket, grey skinny jeans and hard-soled combat boots. On his hands were fingerless black gloves, rhinestones adorning the wrists to complete the look. He even had a black choker around his neck.

He looked every bit the teenage delinquent. Which was unusual for Adrien. Marinette had always seen him as someone who was poised and reserved. His clothes trendy, but never overdone. So seeing him in this… was surprising, to say the least.

He explained that he had only just been flown back from a photoshoot in Germany and hadn't had any time to change before he got the news about their group meeting up for breakfast. If he had said that on any other day, the posse, barring Marinette, might have immediately scoffed and made sarcastic quips. But Adrien's friends could tell by the weary look in his eyes that this was undoubtedly true.

Marinette had to make an effort to stop herself from blurting out, "You really didn't have to come! You need your rest!" But she bit her tongue. He did seem to be grateful to them for getting him out of the house, a lot more cheery than tired. He made lively conversation with Nino and Alya about the things he'd seen in the foreign country, the odd quirks in the crew at the photoshoot.

Marinette kept mostly silent, popping in little remarks here and there. If they could be called that. "Wow!", "That must've been fun!", "How nice of them!" Why couldn't she bring herself to say more? She was more tongue-tied today than she had ever been around Adrien. Maybe it was his edgy new look. It spoke volumes of rebelliousness and made him look ready to pick a fight at any given second. He looked… ' _Dangerous? …Mysterious?_ ' her mind offered.

Her cheeks coloured and she decided that that was enough of listening to what her mind had to say. Adrien was still Adrien. The clothes were just that. Clothes. He was still the polite, dreamy, understanding boy she knew and adored. Though… She would be lying to herself if she said that his new look didn't make her heart skip a beat. Or possibly more than a beat.

Adrien on the other hand, thought his getup was completely ridiculous and was surprised that Marinette hadn't commented on it yet. She was, after all, the fashionista among the four of them. He turned his head ever so slightly to look at Marinette who was walking only a few paces behind him. She seemed to be averting her eyes. Specifically away from him. Maybe that was her way of saying what she thought of the ensemble?

"Honestly, I look ridiculous, don't I?" Adrien asked, turning back to look down the streets ahead. "Yes. If I didn't know better I'd think you were an expelled ne'er-do-well," Alya replied.

He smirked at her retort. "Well what can you do? I mean _this_ one only told me at the last minute," he said, jabbing Nino in the shoulder.

"Woah watch it, _dévoyé_! You look like you could beat me into a pulp in three seconds flat. We don't want you putting me in the ER now do we?" Nino jibed. They all broke out laughing. Adrien enjoyed the witty banter. His friends always knew how to put a smile on his face. However, his laughter faltered when he noticed that Marinette hadn't made any comment whatsoever. He stole another glance at the girl.

Marinette looked as fashionable as ever. Adrien had never seen her in a skirt before, let alone one with polka-dots. Everything about her style normally revolved around spots but today it seemed to be turned up to full volume. She even had a pink ladybug adorning her shirt, tying the whole outfit together. It made him happy, seeing her express herself so whole-heartedly. Everything about her seemed to be exploding with sweetness.

As he thought more about her, Adrien felt compelled to reach out and talk to Marinette. He wanted to know more about this girl beyond her bashful but thoughtful ways and her penchant for fashion. He would talk to her, he decided. _Really_ talk to her. All he needed was some time alone with her.

* * *

They soon arrived at Pierre's and Nino, a regular at the deli, went up to the counter and ordered their meals. When he ordered an omelette however, Alya was at his side in an instant, objecting to his order. She hated eggs for breakfast. They went on a back-and-forth and the cashier could do nothing except sigh in exasperation. Adrien and Marinette were left on their own, tasked with finding a table for the group.

"Umm…hi," Adrien said to her a little while after Alya had rushed off. He had been prepping himself for this moment, thinking of what he wanted to say to Marinette when he got his chance. He had gone through the moment over and over in his head but now that it was here, he found himself unable to think of anything to say aside from a simple hello. He looked over and tried to make eye contact with the girl in the spotted skirt.

"H-hi!" Marinette replied in a little yelp. She barely met his eyes before her cheeks coloured and she began fiddling with the sling of her pouch. A nervous habit. "S-s-so… tables, yes?" she said, smiling bashfully.

Adrien nodded and smiled, simply grateful for her acknowledgement. Unbeknownst to him, Marinette was seeing stars and she was doing everything in her power not to turn into a quivering puddle. But if he carried on smiling like that… She gulped.

"Uh yes. Right… How about over there by the plants?" he asked her.

"U-um…. Yeah s-sure. That good looks spot- I mean that spot looks good!"

They fell silent for a moment. Then fell into a bout of giddy laughter. Marinette was surprised that Adrien would laugh along like this. And Adrien himself, felt exactly the same way. Maybe this could work… This… Date.


End file.
